This invention relates to a tube weld mill comprising a plurality of successively disposed roll stands to form a strip to a desired generally tubular configuration and a weld means to weld together the adjacent edges of the thus formed strip to produce a seam welded tube. The tube weld mill preferably has a further plurality of roll stands downstream of the rolling mill to size the tube and/or form the tube to a desired final section. The tube weld mill also preferably has a scarfing means to remove any external weld bead and an ironing pass.
It is necessary to change the rolls of at least one of the roll stands to adapt the machine to produce different sizes of tube or other profile and/or to handle different sizes of strip.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus comprising a plurality of successively disposed roll stands in which roll changes are facilitated.